Playing-cards.



U. s. ALSRUHE. PLAYING CARDS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 19,13.

l, 1 04,724i l Patented July 21, 1914.

5&9@

hik,

uhh

iai/ k mmm@ a@ n l @Hom/m55 kso narran s'rA'rns i'minar1 orrron URBAN s. ALsnUHn, or Towson, MARYLAND.

PLAYING-CARDS,

Specification of Letters Patent.

nai-,eared Jury si, rara.

Application filed September 11, 1913. i Serial No. 789,30).

The principal object of my invention isl to provide a peculiarl form of playing card or cards to be lemployedin the playing of games intended.primarily for the amusement andv educationof children, providing in the present instance a simple and entertaining medium by which they may be easily and quickly taught orthography, and the addition and substraction of figuresas well as encouraged to memorize niottoes, verses, emblems7 &c. t

llVith the foregoing in view my present invention contemplates the production of a series of playing-cards having novel features :and elements of peculiar advantage in playing a variety of games, each one of which will not only afford recreation and amusement but will `also be instructive `and elevating to the minds lof the players.

The following specification embodies a;

full description of my invention, including an explanation of certain games vwhich `may be played with the cards, and` what l particularly claim as new is specifically set forth .in the appended claims.

lIn the accompanying drawings: Figure` 1 is a face view of a portion of a pack of cards, to illustrate the general application of features constituting my present invention. Fig. 2 is a similarview showing an arrangement of the cards in counting points after playing one of --the gaines hereinafter explained. Fig. 3 is a detail face view of a port-ion of one of the cards composing a pack.

In carrying out my invention each playing-card is provided in one of its upper corners, preferably the left-hand corner, with `a numeral; and at the other, or right-hand corner, with letter of the alphabet; and inasmuch as the cards may be reversed end for end the numeral is repeated in the diagonally opposite corner and the letter likewise repeated in the other diagonally opposite corner-whereby when either end of the card becomes the top the relative arrangement of the numeral and letter will be the same. All the letters of the alphabet are used on different cards, being duplicated according to the number of cards in a pack, and the numeral associated with each letter is repeated on dulplicates of that letter.

Referring to the cards shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the rst or top card with the letter U has the numeral 1, the seco-nd with the letter V has the numeral 2, the third with the letter S has the numeral S, and so on. 0f coursethe association of the letters and value of the accompanyingl numerals is arbitrary, but in the present instance each vowel is of the value 1, and the consonants increase in value from 2 to 9, in series. Any number of cards may be used in a pack, and

preferably the vowelsare duplicated morey often than the consonants, so that a greater number of words `may be spelled with the cards of a pack.

For the purpose of ornamentation each letter and numeral isl inclosed within a circle 10, and in addition to the capital letters in i the diagonally opposite cornersthere are companion small letters, referred to by the reference-numeral 11, so that `a child may become acquaintedwith the different forniation of each letter; and forthe same reason lRoman characters, as indicated atlQ, are

used in company withk the numerals."

Each card is provided with suitable pleasing i and` instructive 4pictorial features, for

instance a yHag, 13,y and in connection with theflag a suitable appropriate verse, as 14;, is placed in the space atthat end of the card having` `the Hag. At the other end portion of the card a different series of pictures may be employed; for inst-ance birds, one of the cards showing an owl 15, with an appropriate `verse 16. It, will be understood, of course, that the flags, birds, and verses differ on the several cards of a pack, for the sake of variety, and instead of having fiags soldiers may be pictured, and animals in place of the birds; in other words,fthe matter printed on the cards may be changed, keeping in view the particular general features 'of the card herein shown and claimed.

The several cards in this instance repre sent dierent nations, according to the letter on the card-as, U the United States of America; G Germany; S Switzerland; E England; and so on,and in connection with the several cards the iiags of the respective nations are used, as well as the national anthem or other appropriate verse or verses. The name of the nation is conspicuously placed at different sides of the center of the i to play the consonants having the greatest -in the game.

instance 23. 'G-G; R-f 744; and N-4 are exposed card, at one side in capital letters and at the other in small letters or italics; and similarly the verse in the space at one end of the card is in capital letters and that in the space at. the other end of the card in small letters or italics. As is usual with playingcards the matter printed at one end portion is reversed from that printed at the other. In addition to the iags of the nations, &c., suitable insignia, as a star 17, cross, etc., may be placed on the card. y

Several different games may be piayed With a pack of cards having the novel features hereinbefore described; for example the simple Well-known game of Word-mak ing and Word-taking, in Which the cards are dealt to the players and as they are played in succession any player may claim` those exposed cards which spell a Word of more than three or four letters, according to agreement, the player depositing the last card of course having preference if he makes the claim at once. In this game when all` the cards have been played and taken the4 points are counted according to the numerals on the cards taken in by each player, and the players are thereby required to add the; several numbers to get the total. Of course in playing this game with these cards each player should be careful in making a Word;`

value, and this of course adds to the interestll Another, and probably a more interi-)stingl game, may be played by permitting a playerto take exposed cards from the table either by making a Word or When the numerals; added together total a certain number, for' As an example, if the cards on the table and the one to play has 13 2 in l his hand he may put it down and claim the cards mentioned, as they total 23; or if he has also 0 6 he may instead use this card by making the Word grown, and of course in this instance he gets a. greater number of points by making the Word, inasmuch as O is of a greater value than 2 In counting points in this game the player is allowed to add together all the numerals on the cards he holds, and in addition increase the total by arranging his cards to spell the longest Word he can, in Which case the iirst letter of the Word adds one, the second tivo, the third three, and so on. As an example the cards shown in Fig. 2 represent a total of 7 8 points-the numerals When added together giving 42, and the letters of the Word elepliant when added together as above described giving 36. Of course in summing up the total points the cards for convenience are arranged as shown in Fig. 2, the numerals of course all being in line, and the letters likewise in line. This game is very interesting and serves as a medium for teaching orthography and the addition of figures. Of course as a diversion, and to teach the subtraction of figures, some of the cards may have numerals with the minus sign in front.

Other games may be played with the cards, and it will be especially noted that the peculiar arrangement not `only provides interest in the game but also includes features Which Will appeal to children. In ad dition to Word-making and Word-taking and totals there may be played the game of iiags, and game of nations, &c., providing a Wide variety of games.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A pack of playingcards each card of which bears at one end thereof a numeral in one corner and a letter of the alphabet in the other corner, as herein shown and for the purpose set forth.

2. A pack of playing-cards each card of which bears a numeral in a corner at one end thereof, a letter of the alphabet in the other corner of that end of the card, and corresponding numeral and letter in the corners at the other end of the card diagonally opposite the first mentioned numeral and letter, respectively.

3. A pack of playing-cards each card of which bears at one end thereof an Arabic numeral in one corner and a capital letter in the other corner, together with small letters associated With the capital letter andv corresponding Roman characters associated With the Arabic numeral, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

URBAN S. ALSRUHE.

IVitnesses:

Jas. C. L. ANDERSON, JAMES. E. DUNrI-IY.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

